The coworkers who fell in love when they shared a hotel room

(CNN) — When Ida Skibenes pulled up outside the Solstrand Hotel, her stomach was in knots, flipping between nerves and excitement.

The Solstrand is one of Norway’s most beautiful hotels, located just outside of Bergen, framed by fjords and home to over 125 years of history.

Every year, Ida’s Bergen-based workplace decamped to the dreamy surrounds of Solstrand for a couple of days of remote working. That year, 2014, was Ida’s first at the company. Her colleagues had regaled her with stories of Solstrand and she was excited. But her excitement wasn’t really about escaping from the city and relaxing among the mountains. It was all about Hanna Aardal.

Hanna was Ida’s coworker. When Ida started at the company, the two quickly clicked, but they were in different places in their lives. At the time, Ida was married, and focused on her relationship and settling into the new job. Meanwhile, Hanna was a single parent whose teenage daughter had just moved to the US to study for a year.

But as the months rolled on, their circumstances changed. Ida’s relationship fell apart, and she went through a divorce. Hanna adjusted to her daughter being abroad, and started spending more time socializing with coworkers. With time, Hanna and Ida grew closer.

“Our energies matched,” is how Ida puts it. “It was always more fun to be at work when Hanna was at work.”

“I think we kind of had the same kind of humor, so we became friends quickly,” says Hanna.

Hanna and Ida started working together on a fun side project, a short mockumentary in the vein of “The Office,” showcasing the quirks of their workplace. The film was set to be screened at the Solstrand retreat.

The two worked on the project out of hours, and started sharing regular dinners and drinks. They messaged regularly, often texting one another goodnight.

Reflecting on this period today, Ida and Hanna suggest they were “dating without realizing.”

“I was used to dating men, and I had never been in a relationship with a woman,” says Hanna. “Looking back, it’s kind of obvious that we had feelings for each other.”

Ida didn’t know if Hanna would be open to dating a woman. And she didn’t know if her feelings were reciprocated, or if they were all in her head. Still, Ida felt…